US Attorney General Lynch Gives Final Speech in Birmingham

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2017/01/IMG_5736.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:640;s:4:"file";s:20:"2017/01/IMG_5736.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-336x336.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:336;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"IMG_5736-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-311x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:311;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-265x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:265;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_5736-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:257951;s:14:"optimized_size";i:180816;s:7:"percent";d:29.899999999999999;}s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:48:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/01/IMG_5736.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:190660;s:14:"optimized_size";i:130268;s:7:"percent";d:31.68;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/01/IMG_5736-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:67291;s:14:"optimized_size";i:50548;s:7:"percent";d:24.879999999999999;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Esther Ciammachilli
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1653734407 
1484582258

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke to a packed congregation at the 16th St. Baptist Church Sunday to commemorate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Lynch says the city’s past and King’s work have made Birmingham a beacon for civil rights in the United States.

Ahead of the final major speech by the first African-American woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General, theater students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham performed moving pieces about the struggles and hatred black people endured in the South during segregation.

When Lynch took the podium, she reflected on the church’s place in the civil rights movement and how it was witness to both progress and tragedy.

“Sixteenth street reminds us as few places can that freedom is not free,” she said. “It comes with a price. And the price of freedom is constant vigilance.”

Lynch spoke on the days of segregation in Birmingham and the tireless work of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other African-Americans, who bravely stood up against their oppressors. Upon reflection, she admitted, “But because of what happened in Birmingham in those days and because of the hope that Birmingham brought to this country I am able to stand before you as the 83rd attorney general of the United States of America serving in the cabinet of the first African-American president of these United States.”

But, Lynch added, Americans continue to face obstacles in the quest for a more just United States, and Birmingham residents like Makobe Tabengwa agree.

“One thing that really resonated with me from her message was that we still have a lot of ways to go,” he said. “And so, I think that her visit just shows that Birmingham is a city of progress and change, and that acknowledging the historical significance of Birmingham is something that we can use in the future.”

And with the Birmingham civil rights district now a designated national monument, the city’s history will be preserved for generations to come.

 

 

 

Word of the Week: How ‘pride’ shifted from vice to a symbol of LGBTQ empowerment

The word pride has shifted over the millennia, from being first used to describe one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology to becoming a global symbol for LGBTQ strength and empowerment.

In a county that backed Trump, people depend on Medicaid and are conflicted about cuts

Medicaid plays a vital role in many rural communities that favored President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. But residents still seem open to Republican plans to cut perceived waste in the program.

U.S. stops scheduling visa interviews for foreign students

The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said.

Ex-police chief sentenced for rape and murder escaped prison disguised as prison guard

Law officers searched Arkansas' rugged Ozark Mountains for an ex-police chief and convicted killer who escaped prison by impersonating a guard and walking out through a gate a guard opened for him.

Noem urges Poles to elect Trump ally as CPAC holds its first meeting in Poland

The Conservative Political Action Conference held its first meeting in Poland on Tuesday, just days before a presidential election between a liberal mayor and a conservative backed by President Trump.

More Front Page Coverage